Biggles Scores a Bull/plot
Chapter 1: A Policeman Has a Problem Gaskin is worried about a string of thefts of valuable champion bulls. He thinks aircraft might have been used to transport them so Biggles agrees to help. Bertie whose father had bred cattle, notices an unusual pattern: one of the bulls is a dairy Friesian while the other, a Hereford. The thief couldn't have stolen them for his own use as most farmers specialised in either dairy or meat. They must have been intended for sale. Chapter 2: Murder While pondering the difficulty of the case, Gaskin brings news of a third crime. Matters have escalated. At Bramshot Hall in Hertfordshire, not only had a prize Jersey been stolen, the farm bailiff Johnson had been murdered. Chapter 3: Biggles Picks Up a Clue Down at the farm, Biggles finds two glass phials, leading him to believe that the thieves tranquilized the bulls before taking them away. On a track next ot a pasture, Bertie and Ginger find Greystone tyre tracks from a big truck--probably the one used to transport the stolen cattle. Chapter 4: Mostly Surmise The detectives regroup at Scotland Yard. Biggles sends Ginger to the Ministry of Agricultere to get a list of owners of valuable bulls. Meanwhile, he and Bertie would do an aerial survey of Stowten Place and Framling Towers, scenes of the first tow crimes. Chapter 5: Framling Towers After checking out Stowten from the air, Biggles lands at Framling Towers where he and Bertie are met by Lord Dubray who was a friend of Bertie's father. Biggles is interested to know if anyone had recently expressed an interest in wanting to buy his prize Hereford which had gone missing. Dubray tells him about one Walter Thellin who had done so. This rings a bell with Biggles because the first theft had been of a Friesian owned by Oswald Thellin, his brother. At the pen of Dubray's lost bull, Biggles finds another glass phial, just like the ones he found at Bramshot. Chapter 6: Ginger Reports Ginger comes back from the Ministry of Agriculture with news that one Walter Thellin had also asked for the list of valuable English bulls just like he had. Naturally, Biggles is not surprised. They decide to visit Thellin's farm, Lockley Manor at Lydhurst. Biggles and Ginger will scout it out from the ground while Bertie would do an aerial reconnaissance. Chapter 7: A Cadillac Makes a Call At Lockley Manor, Biggles and Ginger spot a flashy grey Cadillac and get Gaskin to check the licence plate. It turns out to be owned by one Don José Cordino, a wealthy rancher from South America. Gaskin thinks Biggles has got it all wrong but Biggles is not so sure. Chapter 8: Biggles Makes Plans, and a Trip Biggles sends Ginger undercover to interview Don José at his hotel and Bertie goes back to mount surveillance on Lockley Manor. Meanwhile Biggles flies to Framling Towers to ask Lord Dubray about Cordino. Dubray's information is intriguing. He had done business with Cordino before, and he was able to name the ship he used to ship cattle home--the Juanita. Furthermore, Dubray had read that in this recent trip, Cordino had announced that he had been successful in buying four good bulls and would be returning home soon. Chapter 9: Conference at the Yard At Scotland Yard, Ginger, back from his interview, tells Biggles that Cordino said he had bought four bulls and would be returning to Montevideo soon. Gaskin checks up on the Juanita and learns that it flies a Panamanian flag of convenience and belongs to a company owned by Cordino. The pieces begin to add up. Cordino mentioned four bulls. Only three had been stolen so Biggles anticipates another theft soon. And there is some urgency. The Juanita would be docking at Liverpool the next day--the thieves would certainly want the stolen bulls off their hands as soon as possible. Meanwhile Bertie calls to say that he is on a hot trail. Chapter 10: Shattering News The next morning Gaskin comes with shattering news. As expected there has been another stolen bull, this time from Redbarns in Wiltshire. But the police there have also found Bertie, seriously injured from a knock on the head. Biggles and Gaskin go off to see Bertie while Ginger is sent to maintain surviellance on Lockley Manor. Chapter 11: What Happened to Bertie What happened to Bertie was this: he had been filling up at a service station near Lockley Manor when he noticed a cattle-truck pull in, owned by Walter Thellin. The driver, one Bob told the service station owner to get the truck ready for a job by nine that night. Bertie realized something was afoot and resolved to follow the truck. Chapter 12: What Happened to Bertie (Continued) Bertie then switched his car for a hired one to avoid being recognised and followed the cattle truck all the way to Wiltshire. There he witnessed the theft of the bull but one of the gang struck him on the head and knocked him out. Chapter 13: Ginger Goes to Somerset Ginger gets to Somerset, hides his car near Lockley Manor and takes up a position to keep watch over the farm. A lot seems to be happening. First a cattle truck is delivered empty to the farm. Then Cordino's Cadillac turns up there as well. Ginger spots some activity in the outhouses but can't see what it is so he decides to move in closer for a look. Chapter 14: A Matter of Luck Approaching the outhouses from behind a hedge, Ginger sees George and Bob painting a bull! Thellin is nearby with a tranquilizer gun. When George and Bob tell him they did not need the bull tranquilized any further, Thellin discharges the dart into the hedges and hits Ginger's hand by accidenty! Ginger, panicked by the fact that this was how the farm bailiff got murdered, pulls the dart out and staggers to his car but collapses before getting to it. Chapter 15: Biggles is Puzzled After checking up on Bertie, Gaskin and Biggles head for Lydhurst but are puzzled that Ginger has left no word at the police station. Meanwhile, Gaskin learns that the Juanita has docked, which means Thellin may move his stolen bulls out very soon. Chapter 16: Where is Ginger? Gaskin and Biggles finally find Ginger collapsed near his car. Gaskin goes back to Lydhurst to fetch reinforcements and a doctor. Chapter 17: Just in Time Gaskin returns with Detective Chief Superintendent Roberts of the Somerset Police and his men. They drive towards the farm and are just in time to intercept two cattle trucks emerging from the gate. Bob and George are arrested but Thellin bars himself in his house and shoots himself rather than submit to arrest. Chapter 18: A Last Few Words The stolen bulls are returned to their owners and some loose ends tied up, although the extent of Cordino's involvement would never be known as he had already left the country. Lord Dubray is particularly pleased to have his prize bull back. He sends a telegram of congratulations to the Air Police and invites Bertie to spend his convalescence at Framling Towers. Category:Plot summaries